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Author Topic: Food: Home Brewing  (Read 5266 times)

Noctua

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Home Brewing
« on: March 12, 2017, 12:03:25 pm »
I was wondering if anyone else has done any home brewing? I got a bee in my bonnet (pun intended) last summer and started trying my hand at mead making. Although I enjoy beer, I'm the only one in the house who drinks it and I don't drink it enough to warrant brewing a lot of it. Mead on the other hand is hard to find and expensive where I am, but also can be made to appeal to palates other than my own here in my house, as well as having ingredients that are readily available (honey is everywhere!) so I gave it a go. My first batch was extremely er, minimal in equipment and such- I used the "cheap fast and easy" recipe here: http://www.stormthecastle.com/mead/fast-cheap-mead-making.htm

Since that one turned out actually drinkable and gave me the confidence to say "hey, this is a thing I could actually do" I've been slowly investing in equipment to make things more professional-like. I'm brewing in small batches right now, with a 2 gallon plastic fermenter and 1-gallon glass carboys. That's just about enough for 5 750mL wine bottles per batch. I'm currently on-track to do a batch for every sabbat, making each one with ingredients that embody that holiday for me. My latest batch is the first I've actually put in real bottles instead of the swing-tops I'd used previously, thanks to my husband's Valentines gift to me of a wine bottle corker.
 


This batch was made with winter fruits- raisins, prunes, and currants with orange and citron in primary, then aged with oak chips in the secondary ferment. Next weekend I'll start on making a batch for the equinox- dandelion, chamomile, and lemon. Honestly I have the most fun just brainstorming ideas for what I'd like to add at the different holidays- I'm already planning a mead variant of Maibowle (strawberry and woodruff) for Beltane.

I've found this to be a very enjoyable hobby, in no small part because the actual work involved is minimal, with the largest time commitment being in the "watch and wait" phase. Being able to drink the end product is also a definite plus. ;)
« Last Edit: May 07, 2019, 01:44:13 pm by RandallS »

Dynes Hysbys

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Re: Home Brewing
« Reply #1 on: March 12, 2017, 12:54:06 pm »
Quote from: Noctua;203642
I was wondering if anyone else has done any home brewing?


I make mead and wine as well as alcoholic infusions like sloe gin, may wine and my current addiction...limoncello.

Alexeigynaix

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Re: Home Brewing
« Reply #2 on: March 12, 2017, 08:56:46 pm »
Quote from: Noctua;203642
I was wondering if anyone else has done any home brewing? I got a bee in my bonnet (pun intended) last summer and started trying my hand at mead making.

 
I did once with a kit I got at the Pittsburgh Renaissance Festival, the spiced mead kit from Ambrosia Farms, and it turned out all right but I also didn't leave it for any six months. I am now tempted to try again...problem is I don't really drink enough to justify it...

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Re: Home Brewing
« Reply #3 on: March 12, 2017, 11:25:05 pm »
Quote from: Noctua;203642
I was wondering if anyone else has done any home brewing?


Our household ritual year has flex points around cyser brewing, actually.  And we've done some other things.

Quote
I've found this to be a very enjoyable hobby, in no small part because the actual work involved is minimal, with the largest time commitment being in the "watch and wait" phase. Being able to drink the end product is also a definite plus. ;)

 
"Do a thing and then ignore it for six months" hobbies are the best hobbies. ;)
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Noctua

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Re: Home Brewing
« Reply #4 on: March 14, 2017, 04:11:43 pm »
Quote from: Dynes Hysbys;203648
I make mead and wine as well as alcoholic infusions like sloe gin, may wine and my current addiction...limoncello.

 
Very nice. I do make limoncello once a year, usually sometime after my parents visit for Christmas since until just a couple weeks ago grain alcohol was forbidden in my state. My dad would always smuggle a bottle across state lines for me so I could make it and then he gets to drink the results the next year. XD

Have you ever tried making aranciello or pompelmocello? I've found I actually like the grapefruit version better, but alas my parents can't have grapefruit so I always make lemon.

Noctua

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Re: Home Brewing
« Reply #5 on: March 14, 2017, 04:19:15 pm »
Quote from: Alexeigynaix;203671
I did once with a kit I got at the Pittsburgh Renaissance Festival, the spiced mead kit from Ambrosia Farms, and it turned out all right but I also didn't leave it for any six months. I am now tempted to try again...problem is I don't really drink enough to justify it...

 
Looks like that kit makes a short mead, which I've never tried. I guess the short brewing makes it more like a beer?

To be fair I usually don't drink much either, which is why I'm only doing 1-gallon batches. If I get 5 bottles out of it, and it's better when it ages, then I'll probably have those 5 bottles for about 5 years worth of holidays. The way I see it it will take me about 6 years or so of regularly brewing to build a supply up where I could have 1 bottle a week if I wanted to. I'm definitely playing the long game here.

Noctua

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Re: Home Brewing
« Reply #6 on: March 14, 2017, 04:22:04 pm »
Quote from: Darkhawk;203673
Our household ritual year has flex points around cyser brewing, actually.  And we've done some other things.


 
"Do a thing and then ignore it for six months" hobbies are the best hobbies. ;)

 
Awesome- I've got a cyser on my list to do this October, when apples are in season. I've also just this spring planted apple trees in my yard that will (in 5 years time or so) be good for cider/cyser. Like I said above, definitely playing the long game haha.

Dynes Hysbys

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Re: Home Brewing
« Reply #7 on: March 15, 2017, 11:48:08 am »
Quote from: Noctua;203723
Very nice. I do make limoncello once a year, usually sometime after my parents visit for Christmas since until just a couple weeks ago grain alcohol was forbidden in my state. My dad would always smuggle a bottle across state lines for me so I could make it and then he gets to drink the results the next year. XD

Have you ever tried making aranciello or pompelmocello? I've found I actually like the grapefruit version better, but alas my parents can't have grapefruit so I always make lemon.

 
Only the lemon so far. I've never seen unwaxed grapefruits for sale or it's one I would definitely have a go at.  The only unwaxed oranges I can find are Seville and I wonder if they would be too bitter? Only one way to find out I guess

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Re: Home Brewing
« Reply #8 on: March 15, 2017, 12:10:42 pm »
Quote from: Noctua;203724
Looks like that kit makes a short mead, which I've never tried. I guess the short brewing makes it more like a beer?

To be fair I usually don't drink much either, which is why I'm only doing 1-gallon batches. If I get 5 bottles out of it, and it's better when it ages, then I'll probably have those 5 bottles for about 5 years worth of holidays. The way I see it it will take me about 6 years or so of regularly brewing to build a supply up where I could have 1 bottle a week if I wanted to. I'm definitely playing the long game here.

 
I would not know. I mostly know "is it sweet? does it avoid tasting obviously of alcohol? OH GOOD I can drink it!" which applies to every sort of alcohol ever.

Hm, though. I'm seriously tempted to go try the six-month-brew thing now.

Noctua

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Re: Home Brewing
« Reply #9 on: March 15, 2017, 08:24:12 pm »
Quote from: Alexeigynaix;203744
I would not know. I mostly know "is it sweet? does it avoid tasting obviously of alcohol? OH GOOD I can drink it!" which applies to every sort of alcohol ever.

Hm, though. I'm seriously tempted to go try the six-month-brew thing now.

 
I highly recommend the recipe link I posted in the initial post. No special equipment required, and materials cost for me was about $15 for a yield equivalent to about four wine bottles- and the biggest part of that cost at about $12 was the honey itself.

Dynes Hysbys

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Re: Home Brewing
« Reply #10 on: March 16, 2017, 05:14:42 am »
Quote from: Noctua;203760
I highly recommend the recipe link I posted in the initial post. No special equipment required, and materials cost for me was about $15 for a yield equivalent to about four wine bottles- and the biggest part of that cost at about $12 was the honey itself.


I know other people who used this method successfully too - even using old soft drink bottles. It is similar to the recipe I used the first time but I used lemon rather than orange and added some cinnamon bark along with the cloves to make a spiced mead.

sevensons

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Re: Home Brewing
« Reply #11 on: March 22, 2017, 05:11:43 am »
Quote from: Noctua;203642
I was wondering if anyone else has done any home brewing? I got a bee in my bonnet (pun intended) last summer and started trying my hand at mead making. Although I enjoy beer, I'm the only one in the house who drinks it and I don't drink it enough to warrant brewing a lot of it. Mead on the other hand is hard to find and expensive where I am, but also can be made to appeal to palates other than my own here in my house, as well as having ingredients that are readily available (honey is everywhere!) so I gave it a go. My first batch was extremely er, minimal in equipment and such- I used the "cheap fast and easy" recipe here: http://www.stormthecastle.com/mead/fast-cheap-mead-making.htm

Since that one turned out actually drinkable and gave me the confidence to say "hey, this is a thing I could actually do" I've been slowly investing in equipment to make things more professional-like. I'm brewing in small batches right now, with a 2 gallon plastic fermenter and 1-gallon glass carboys. That's just about enough for 5 750mL wine bottles per batch. I'm currently on-track to do a batch for every sabbat, making each one with ingredients that embody that holiday for me. My latest batch is the first I've actually put in real bottles instead of the swing-tops I'd used previously, thanks to my husband's Valentines gift to me of a wine bottle corker.
 


This batch was made with winter fruits- raisins, prunes, and currants with orange and citron in primary, then aged with oak chips in the secondary ferment. Next weekend I'll start on making a batch for the equinox- dandelion, chamomile, and lemon. Honestly I have the most fun just brainstorming ideas for what I'd like to add at the different holidays- I'm already planning a mead variant of Maibowle (strawberry and woodruff) for Beltane.

I've found this to be a very enjoyable hobby, in no small part because the actual work involved is minimal, with the largest time commitment being in the "watch and wait" phase. Being able to drink the end product is also a definite plus. ;)

 
I have never tried brewing seems intense. at a party at mine I once did a punch but had to dispense most of it.
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Re: Home Brewing
« Reply #12 on: February 14, 2018, 11:24:13 am »



This batch was made with winter fruits- raisins, prunes, and currants with orange and citron in primary, then aged with oak chips in the secondary ferment.

So I thought I'd update because we drank one of the bottles I made last Imbolc a week ago and it was a big hit. I'm planning on repeating that recipe again today to have it for next year.

I did end up brewing around every sabbat last year, and then some. Here's what I did:
Imbolc- Winter fruits Melomel
Ostara- Dandelion and chamomile metheglin
Beltane- "Maibowle" melomel (strawberry and woodruff)
Midsummer- Raspberry Orange melomel, Double Cherry melomel (sweet and tart cherries), Oaked brown-sugar cyser
Lammas- Mulit-berry melomel, Peach ginger melomel
Mabon- Concord pyment
Samhain- Mugwort cyser
Yule- "Wassail" cyser (spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, clove)

This year I'm going to try a few different things. I noticed that my Apothecary rose has peak blooms right around Beltane so I'll probably make a Rhodomel about that time this year. I'm also planning on making an elderflower mead with Sauternes yeast at midsummer this year, provided I get enough elderflowers (my bush is still pretty small, and although I know where there are some in the parks near me it's iffy as to whether I can sneak some flowers off them). Everything else mostly depends on what I can get at the farmer's market. :)

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Re: Home Brewing
« Reply #13 on: February 14, 2018, 06:46:25 pm »

Beltane- "Maibowle" melomel (strawberry and woodruff)


What sort of flavor does woodruff have? I've heard of it but never encountered it.
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Noctua

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Re: Home Brewing
« Reply #14 on: February 14, 2018, 07:04:14 pm »
What sort of flavor does woodruff have? I've heard of it but never encountered it.

I'm honestly not sure what sort of flavor it has, unfortunately my plant died before I could do a lot of experimenting with it and the mead I brewed I probably won't drink til May. But I know that when it's dried is has a fragrance that to me smells sort of like a cross between almond and vanilla, with a hint of fresh-mown hay underneath.

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